This section describes the background art of the disclosed embodiment of the present invention. There is no intention, either express or implied, that the background art discussed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
Various different devices and methods have been used to facilitate the prevention and treatment of various maladies such as carpal tunnel syndrome which is a nerve disorder in the hands. In the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist splints have been used to fix the wrist in either a neutral or extended position. However, such devices have proven to be less than successful in permanently controlling or relieving symptoms in at least some applications.
For record purposes, the following is a list of US and foreign patents relating to various other attempts to prevent or treat maladies of the body caused by one portion of the body moving relative to another portion of the body such as at various joints or movement of the person's back: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,938,476; 5,042,505; 5,513,651; 6,402,708; 6,852,067; WO/00/076400; and WO/05/055815.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,067, issued to the same inventor as the inventor of the present application, there is disclosed devices used for facilitating the prevention and treatment of maladies such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The devices permit limited range of motion to allow the patient to perform normal use of the hands and yet alert the patient to stop further movements when the hands are nearing an unsafe hyper-extended or flexed position. Also, one of the patented devices may provide a mechanically selectively lockable pivot joint to limit mechanically the allowable extension and flexion of a hand piece relative to a forearm piece of a splint. Inner and outer cylinders are mounted at the wrist for receiving locking pins which limit the rotation of the inner cylinder relative to the other cylinder.
While such a device is quite acceptable for some applications, it would be desirable to accomplish the adjustable limits to the user's range of motion without attaching a device to the side of the wrist of the user. In this regard, it would be highly desirable to have a device which is more compact and less bulky, and therefore less restrictive to the user during normal use of the hands.